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With all the news about recalled dog foods and dog treats lately I have been thinking about making treats for the dogs, but I’ve never gotten around to actually doing it. Visit the American Veterinary Medical Association to find out about US FDA and manufacturer animal food recalls and alerts or follow them on Twitter @AVMARecallWatch.

Recently, my Miniature Schnauzer began having allergy issues to the point that he scratched and bit himself raw. After months of vet visits and steroids to no avail, I finally had him allergy tested. Turns out he is allergic to beef, wheat, and milk. A dog allergic to beef??!! I thought I was doing good feeding him a grain free food of beef meal but I was only aggravating his allergy. I’m glad I finally had him allergy tested! So, at that point I was on a quest to make some inexpensive, dog treats that weren’t full of things that I couldn’t pronounce and he couldn’t eat or at risk of being recalled.

I have no idea how to make dog treats, but what I do know is baking!! Figuring that I would approach it like I was making cookies but without all the good stuff (like chocolate chips), I started mixing and adding and baking until I came up with something that resembled a recipe! This was a test run recipe but it turned out so well I wanted to go ahead a share it. As I tweak the recipe I will post updates and please feel free to share your recipes for dog treats! I know Cosmo and Echo won’t have any problem taste testing!!

(I know it would have been cute to have a photo of them actually eating their freshly baked treats, but they woofed them down so quickly I couldn’t get a picture!)

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey (honey is said to help dogs with GI issues and allergies. You can read about the health benefits of giving your dog honey here)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if you are using a dark coated, non stick pan). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl. Place dry mix into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until dough forms. If it’s too dry, add a little more chicken broth or some water. Or add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky or wet. Place dough on wax paper and roll out. I rolled the dough to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut out the dough with cookie cutters or use a pizza cutter to cut strips or squares. Place the cut out dough on the parchment lined cookie sheet and baked about 15-16 minutes. Let cool completely before giving them to your pet. Store in a air tight container.

These are not crunchy like the dog treats you buy in the store but I think that may be due to the soy and coconut flours.

**Please remember to ask your vet if you are unsure about what is safe for your pet to eat!

Over ripe bananas are only good for one thing…Banana Bread! I had a few bananas that were past the point of being edible on their own so off I went baking, but I wanted a little more than just banana bread. I wanted something to top my banana bread…BOURBON!!! Hey, bourbon is good on just about anything and in Kentucky we can think of some pretty creative ways to use it!

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a wooden spoon (leave some small chunks).

In another large bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter & sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in the bananas, sour cream, vanilla and beat until combined (you can add in nuts or chocolate chips at this point if you want).

Bring brown sugar, white sugar, bourbon & water to a boil over high heat. Turn heat to medium-low and continue to reduce until it is syrupy (about 6 min or so). Stir it occasionally to prevent it from burning. Cool for 5 minutes and serve over banana bread.

The bourbon sauce can be stored in the refrigerator. Just warm it up and stir before serving. I have no idea how long it will keep because it really doesn’t last that long around here.